“So, Hunter, is your boyfriend good with all the time you’re apart during the storm season?” Kate asks. This is our second day together and Kate seems to be warming up to us. Hunter is driving so I have the freedom to look around. I like watching Kate when she isn’t paying attention. She’s always observing and writing things in her notebook. I wonder if she’s writing about the weather or creating poetry or sketching cats. I just don’t know where to start with her. She has to know I’m interested. According to Hunter, I practically threw myself at her during our dinner a few weeks ago. Was she offended? Excited? She’s in the car with us now so either she thinks I’m harmless or she’s just used to all of the attention. She’s beautiful. The more I’m around her, the closer I want to get.
“Well, he’s the drummer in a band and he tours a lot so he doesn’t mind when I hit the road.” Despite the stereotype, Hunter’s boyfriend is perfect for her. Very much a gentleman and loves her dearly. I’m just waiting for her to show up with a big, fat diamond ring on her left hand one day. “It just works. After being cooped up with him all winter, I’m ready for time apart.”
“Oh, stop. You two are so cute, it’s ridiculous,” I say. She smiles at me. Hunter tries to act tough, but she’s a softie when it comes to him.
“Tris, what’s your story? Why haven’t you found Ms. Right?” she asks. She obviously remembers Hunter’s reference from our dinner the other night. I want to close my eyes and disappear because that’s a hard question.
“Well, maybe I’m just not long term relationship material.” I shrug like it’s no big deal, but it hurts sometimes. I long for the closeness of a partner. I do miss the touching and the sharing and simple things like good morning kisses and sweet words of encouragement that only a lover can say. How do I convey that without sounding desperate? “It’s tough being away from your partner for months at a time, especially during the spring when you’re done with the cold weather and want to go out and have fun again. I just haven’t connected with any woman yet. Plus, most women glaze over when you start talking about the science of weather, or how exciting it can be when the barometric pressure changes, or when two fronts collide.”
“Maybe you aren’t meeting the right women,” Kate says. “There are a lot of smart, educated women who do care about science and math and who aren’t intimidated by another intelligent woman.” Christ, she’s diplomatic.
“What about you? Are you seeing somebody special?” I ask. I turn the tables and I know it’s not nice, but I can’t help myself. I have to strike at the opening she created in our conversation.
“No, nobody special. I’ve really been putting a lot of energy in school and getting the funds to complete my Masters degree. It takes just as much time and effort to do that as it takes to actually get the degree.”
“Speaking of which, Tris, have you heard anything back from Williams?” Hunter asks. “Sorry, Kate. We’ve just been waiting to hear back about a grant and we’re starting to get nervous because if we don’t get it, we don’t do this next year. Tris is lucky, she teaches classes in the fall. But I need to find something else if we didn’t get it.”
Kate looks at me in surprise.
“I’m not a Neanderthal, you know,” I say. She laughs and touches my shoulder. Her fingers are warm and soft and I almost frown when she leans back in the seat, her touch suddenly gone.
“I know. I’m sorry I seem so surprised. You’re just super relaxed out here and I’m trying to picture you teaching.”
“I do clean up well. I even know how to walk in heels.” I put my feet on the dashboard to show off my extremely practical steel toe Red Wing boots. “These are not a fashion statement. These are almost a necessity when chasing.” I know I should be offended on some level, but I’m not. I’m just happy she has taken notice of me at all.
“No, no, no. Don’t take it like that. You’re very calm and it’s just refreshing to be around you, both of you. My only other experience with a storm chaser is Gage and he is very anxious and excited,” she says.
“Tristan is actually the smartest person I know,” Hunter says. Now the conversation becomes uncomfortable. I don’t like compliments.
“Stop. I’m not. You’re just as smart. Plus, you work with tons of smarties just in our department alone,” I say. I’m trying to deflect. I know Hunter thinks she’s helping me by building me up, but right now I’m finding it very annoying. I want to impress Kate on my own.
“Well, you’re smarter than any of them and you’re tons of fun. Besides, you get me and nobody else does,” Hunter says.
“Thanks.” I avoid Kate’s gaze in the mirror on purpose. I want this conversation to turn back to her. I want to know more about why she’s single and what she’s looking for.
“Kate, have you ever had a serious relationship?” I ask.
“Well, my last relationship was about a year long. I just don’t have the time for anything serious right now. I work, I go to school, I go home and sleep. I don’t even have time for a pet. And I would love a pup like Maddox or even a few kitties.” Very vague. Perhaps I need a different approach.
“The last woman I dated worked in the math department. She’s very smart, but we didn’t have a lot in common. She didn’t know how to laugh or have a good time,” I say.
Hunter laughs. “C’mon, Tris. She was horrible. She was what? Thirty-five going on eighty? And we won’t even talk about Julie.” I look at Hunter, surprised she would bring up her name, especially in front of somebody I’m interested in.
“So you like older women?” Kate asks, thankfully not wanting more of an explanation about Julie. Maybe she didn’t hear Hunter.
“I seem to have more in common with women who are older.” I try to be careful with my words, but it sounds bad no matter what. I decide to elaborate. “I haven’t really met anybody younger. It’s against school policy to date our students even though a few of them are pretty cute.” I try humor, but that doesn’t seem to work. Hunter comes to my rescue.
“Tris is one of the youngest teachers at the school. She’s right. It’s hard for her to meet women her age. The choices are gay bars, both of them in town, and online dating. Who wants to do that?” Hunter says.
“Then why are you here in the Midwest?” Kate says. “I mean, isn’t most of the action on the East or West Coast?” And there you have it. She’s straight. Why else would she say that if she wasn’t batting for the other team? Suddenly, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.
“I’ve lived in the Midwest my whole life. My family and my friends are all in Oklahoma. Where are you from?”
“We moved around a lot, but ended up in Oklahoma when I was in high school,” she says.
“Where did you live before?” I ask.
“Ladies, I don’t mean to interrupt, but we have some questionable clouds around us. Can somebody please check Doppler and tell me what’s going on?” Hunter asks. Shitty timing. I refresh the laptop and study the yellow and red on the screen.
“It looks like there is something brewing,” I say. Kate is looking at Doppler as well. “Does that look like a wall cloud?” I point to the cloud to our right and we all look. The gray cloud is lowering. It isn’t rotating, but we all keep our eyes on it.
“How far out is the rain?” Hunter asks.
“Maybe fifteen minutes or so. Plenty of time to set up in case that drops,” I say. Hunter pulls over and we get out of the car. She has the video camera on a tripod and Kate and I have handheld cameras. Nobody is talking and I smile. Silence might just be a superstition for a chaser. We all hold our breath and quietly pray. I sneak a peek at Kate. She looks so serious. Even though she is young, she has an old soul. I work with a lot of young people, but Kate is different. I feel like she’s been through something serious in her life already. Maybe she was hurt by somebody. My mind is always thinking of other people’s stories, good and bad.
She’s wearing jeans and a tight button down shirt with her sleeves rolled to her elbows. She looks beautiful. Her hair is blowing loose from her hair tie and she constantly shakes her head to keep it from getting in her face. She turns to me and for just a few moments, we stare at each other. I’m sure the look I’m giving her is raw with need. I can’t tell if she recognizes the look, but she doesn’t look away. She slowly smiles at me. My heart beats faster.
“There it is,” Hunter says.
“Call it in, call it in,” I yell to Hunter, but she’s already on the radio and her phone. We’ve been around long enough to know who to call in each region. Emergency personnel on the CB and the local news station on the phone. Hunter is better at dealing with crises and disasters than I am. When the traffic clears, Kate and I cross the road to be closer to the tornado. It’s moving away from us, dancing slowly across the field. It truly is an amazing act of nature. Seeing one never gets old.
It’s hard to see one hit cities and towns. I always cringe when I see a barn or house full of someone’s memories explode in its path. I hope that people and animals are safe and always say a little prayer. Growing up, we were always around tornadoes. My father even had a cement bunker down in the basement underneath the front stoop.
I watch Kate marvel at it, snapping a ton of pictures, seemingly torn between watching it and recording it. It’s so loud around us that talking is pointless. I’m careful to make sure we don’t get too far away from the car. Tornadoes have been known to suddenly switch directions and even though this rope like twister seems lazy, I’m still wary of it. Kate is mesmerized and continues to follow it. I hear Hunter whistle and wave for us. Kate won’t be able to hear me so I grab her waist. She tenses up, but I ignore it and pull us closer together so I can yell in her ear.
“Hunter wants to follow it. Let’s go.”
She turns to me. Our lips are about five inches apart. My legs are almost straddling her thigh because I am so close. I take a step back, giving her space. Her eyes drop to my lips, then back up to my eyes. Her pupils are dilated and her lips are slightly parted. I’m struck with the urge to lean forward and kiss her. I know that her adrenaline rush is because of the tornado, but I want it to be because my nearness affects her. We stare at each other for several moments until I reluctantly point behind us because I know Hunter is anxious to follow the tornado.
Hunter whistles again and the spell is broken. We hurry back to her.
“Let’s see where she goes. If this tornado becomes rain wrapped, it’s going to be harder to see and that’s not good for anybody,” Hunter shouts.
We climb in the SUV and Hunter takes off. We drive behind it, giving it space to move freely. Within a few minutes, the twister jumps up and disappears from sight.
“That was quick, but it sure was amazing,” Kate says. She’s leaning close to us and I can smell her hair. It’s a sweet almond scent and I bite my tongue before I accidentally moan with pleasure. I’m an olfactory person. Smells turn me on and Kate is delectable.
“Hopefully, you will get to see a few more with us,” Hunter says. We leave the storm and check the computer, trying to track down the next one. I think we both want to impress Kate. Hunter because of scientific reasons, me for personal ones.